I also wanted to talk some about value and shading in color theory! Kathy had a lovely post about shade and shadow, illustrated by a fuzzy picture of the project in progress.

See how the blackwork patterns create darker and lighter shading? This also applies to colored designs in other embroidery styles. Suppose you decide to fill a heart with a purple color (dark purple, light purple, blueish purple, reddish purple). You are not done designing! There’s texture to consider – smooth, fuzzy, loopy, bumpy, padded. Now are you done? No!!!! Satin stitch will be a very different color from a distance than trellis stitch – just like these blackwork fillings.

That said, don’t freeze up! Yes, there are lots of possibilities. No, you don’t have to consider all options every single time. Just pick something! If you already know what you want, that’s wonderful. But if you’re stuck and don’t like your current ideas, these questions can help you think of a new set to consider.